File photo of Raj Thackeray
The Shiv Sena today described political rival Raj Thackeray as "a novice" who fronted an "unsuccessful" agitation demanding that commuters in Maharashtra stop paying tax at toll plazas because roads are sub-standard.
On Wednesday, Raj Thackeray, 45, was detained by the police en route to a toll plaza in a Mumbai suburb where he planned to protest. Elsewhere in the state, hundreds of workers from his party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena or MNS, blocked major highways. Earlier this month, they vandalised several toll plazas.
"There were apprehensions that due to MNS roadblocks, the entire state would be paralysed and the streets would be deserted...," an editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece,
Saamana, said today, adding, "On the contrary, the streets were full of people, but agitators returned home before 2 pm!"
The Shiv Sena was founded by Bal Thackeray who died in November, 2012. His son, 53-year-old Uddhav Thackeray, is now party chief. In December 2005, Raj, his younger cousin, broke away from the family to set up his own party.
Like the Shiv Sena, the MNS trumpets its regional chauvinism and targets migrant workers from other states.
It made a strong debut in the state elections in 2009, winning 13 seats.